


Windows Down

by sapph_fic



Series: Nightmares [1]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:13:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24891382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapph_fic/pseuds/sapph_fic
Summary: Sara dreams that she's back on the Gambit, and Ava searches for a way to calm her girlfriend down.
Relationships: Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe
Series: Nightmares [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1801150
Comments: 2
Kudos: 96





	Windows Down

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all, this is so soft, it actually hurts. Listen to "Yours" by Ella Henderson if you want extra feels while reading this.

Sara was drowning. She cried out for Oliver even as she felt the icy water pull her under. As the darkness consumed her, she thought about her family. She imagined her mom having to tell her dad and Laurel that she was on the Gambit when it went down. She could see Laurel’s face shift from shock to recognition to anger to grief. She heard her parent’s broken sobs as they mourned their youngest daughter, gone far too soon. Sara wished more than anything that she was tucked safely away in her bed right now, watching TV while secretly texting Oliver. She had been so naive to think that she and Oliver could ever have a calm, relaxing vacation together. But even in her wildest nightmares, the worst case scenario was Laurel finding out and refusing to ever speak to her again. Never did Sara think that when they set out to sea, it would be the last time she ever saw her family and home again. Sara wasn’t sure hurt worse: the searing pain in her lungs as she struggled to hold her breath, fighting to find her way to the surface, or the knowledge of how much pain this would cause her family. As the unrelenting waves obscured her sense of up and down, she desperately grabbed at anything that would keep her afloat. With some kind of perverse luck, she was able to haul herself onto a piece of the wreckage and look at her surroundings. The Gambit was completely destroyed, with no sign that Oliver or Robert had survived. Sara was utterly exhausted and felt herself start to succumb to sleep, unable to even worry about whether she would wake up. Nothing mattered anymore. Everyone and everything she had ever known was gone, ripped from her in the blink of an eye, leaving her hopelessly alone.

Sara awoke gasping for air. She shot up from the bed, heart pounding in her chest, and frantically grabbed at the lamp. The bright light momentarily blinded her, causing her to squint, but Sara was glad to be able to see her familiar surroundings. The cream shag carpet. The soft silk sheets. The dresser decorated with very deliberately placed pictures. The closet door that hung half open because Sara had accidentally broken the hinge and neither woman had gotten around to fixing it yet. The poly blend pantsuit that Ava had draped across the back of a chair, too tired to hang it up properly before she had crawled into bed. She could smell Ava’s coconut and agave shampoo, as well as her shea butter moisturizer, which Sara had come to associate with home.

Sara took a couple deep breaths, her heart beat beginning to slow as everything Ava Sharpe took over her senses. She jumped a little when she felt the mattress shift, the sheets rustling next to her.

Ava sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes in the harsh light. Her hand immediately went to Sara’s back as she took in the woman’s tear stained face and labored breaths. “Baby, what’s wrong? Talk to me.” Ava spoke soothingly, her hand starting to move up and down Sara’s back in a calming motion.

Sara swallowed as she laid back down on the bed. It was just a dream — a nightmare — and she was safe with Ava.She didn’t trust herself to speak just yet, so she took Ava’s hand in her own, placing it on her chest, right over her heart. Normally, she would break the hand of anyone who tried to get that close to her neck, but now she welcomed the warmth of Ava’s hand splayed out on her bare skin, grounding her. Sara thought she was ready to talk, but when she turned to Ava, her words got stuck in her throat. She peered into piercing gray eyes that stared back at her with such genuine concern that it took her breath away all over again.

Thankfully, Ava took over the talking for her. She was propped up on one elbow, her hand moving from Sara’s chest as she rolled over to tuck a strand of Sara’s hair behind her ear. “Was it the Gambit again?” Ava asked softly.

Sara simply nodded. This wasn’t the first time she had woken up from a nightmare with Ava beside her, and unfortunately, this was one of her most frequent dreams. Part of her felt terrible for burdening Ava with having to comfort her. The woman looked so peaceful when she slept, and Sara’s heart hurt to think of waking her up for something as trivial as a little nightmare. But another part of her realized that she would do the same for Ava in a heartbeat. That no matter how hard work was and how much the Legends got on her nerve, she would be willing to stay up the entire night if it meant keeping Ava safe. So, Sara melted into Ava’s embrace, letting the taller woman hold her for what felt like hours but in actuality was mere minutes. Sara hated feeling so vulnerable, but there, in Ava’s arms, she felt as though nothing could touch her. Her worries disappeared, and it was as if warm honey had been injected into her veins, the heat originating at the spot where Ava’s thumb was gently caressing Sara’s bicep and slowly spreading throughout her entire body.

Finally, Ava broke the silence, whispering softly, “do you want to go for a drive?”

Sara pulled her head back from where it had been resting in the crook of Ava’s neck, giving her girlfriend a quizzical look. It had to be at least 3 in the morning, and Ava had an early meeting at work. But when she met Ava’s eyes, she saw a look of fierce determination there, one that told her that Ava wouldn’t rest until she herself could. So she let Ava take her hand and drag her from the bed.

It was summer time and both women wore only silky tank tops and pj shorts, so Ava grabbed each of them a robe before leaving the room. They only stopped on between the bedroom and the door for Ava to get her car keys and wallet from the table in the entranceway. Both women giggled as they ran, still barefoot, out to the quiet DC street, flinching as the sound of Ava’s car unlocking disrupted the still night air.

It was warm, but not hot, and the humidity wasn’t too bad. Sara could just barely feel the air sitting on her shoulders, engulfing her in the slightest of hugs. It had been a long time since she had been in a car, and even longer since she had ridden in the passenger seat. She knew Ava liked to drive when she could to keep a sense of normalcy in her life, but it was almost shocking to see her girlfriend sitting in front of a steering wheel. Sara could _almost_ forget she was that girl flailing in the icy waters of the South China Sea when she watched Ava start the car and pull out onto the street. She could _almost_ imagine that she was just a regular woman out for a late night drive with her gorgeous girlfriend. But deep down, Sara knew that she could never be normal, and she was beginning to be okay with that, because she had _this._

Ava used her left hand to drive, her right hand busy rubbing small circles into the inside of Sara’s thigh. As they drove through the quiet residential streets, Ava turned on the radio, and an evocative song floated through the speakers.

_But with you I’ve learned just to let it out // Now my heart is ready to burst_

Sara placed her hand on top of Ava’s on her leg, rolling down her window to feel the cool breeze on her outstretched arm. The wind lightly whipped their hair around as Ava navigated the maze of streets. Sara surrendered herself to her senses, wanting to remember this moment. The summer air smelled of bonfires and s’mores, reminding her of childhood nights spent in her backyard with her family. The slight breeze caused goosebumps to rise on her upper arms as her hair tickled her neck. As Sara looked over at Ava, she couldn’t help the smile that blossomed on her face. In the soft glow of the streetlights, her girlfriend looked absolutely angelic: eyes focused on the road, lips moving as she inaudibly sang along with the song, fingers continuing to squeeze Sara’s thigh. The sight set the smaller woman’s body alight, and she leaned back in her seat to let the words of the song wash over her.

_You take me from the dark // Your arms they keep me steady // So nothing could fall apart_

Sara didn’t know how one song could so perfectly capture her emotions in this moment, but this one was doing a damn good job of it. She closed her eyes, and all she could see was Ava, any thoughts of that terrible night so many years ago long gone from her mind. She pictured Ava’s dazzling smile, making her heart jump in her chest even from across the room. She saw the way Ava turned away, her beautiful blonde hair falling in waves across her face, when she was flustered. She heard Ava’s giggles, the purest noise she thinks has ever graced her ears, when she watched her favorite show. She smelled Ava’s sandalwood perfume, the one that she just lightly sprayed on her neck every morning so that only Sara ever truly smelled it. She tasted Ava’s lips after she’d finished a glass of pinot noir, the fruity flavor lingering on her swollen, wine-stained lips.

_Cause I feel like I’m ready for love // And I wanna be your everything and more_

As Ava turned back onto her street, Sara stuck her head out the window, feeling her skin clam up at the mixture of warm air and cool breeze that greeted her face. She closed her eyes, relishing the serendipity of the night. She had been dealing with nightmares for years, but she no longer had to do it alone. Now, she had Ava by her side, and everything seemed just a little bit less scary when the taller woman was around. Sara didn’t think she’d ever be able to put into words how grateful she was for her girlfriend, how lucky she was to have the beautiful woman next to her in her life.

_And I know every day you say it // But I just wanted you to be sure_

When the car stopped, Sara reluctantly rolled up her window. Before getting out, she took Ava hand from where it rested on her leg and lifted it to her mouth, placing chaste kisses on each of her knuckles. “Thank you,” Sara breathed, sure that words would never be enough to properly express herself. She felt her eyes begin to water as Sara became dangerously close to being overwhelmed by Ava’s love.

Ava simply hummed, opting to cup Sara’s jaw and lightly brush a thumb over the other woman’s cheek, wiping away the single tear that had escaped the corner of baby blue eyes. “Ready to go in?” Ava whispered, her voice laced with sleepiness.

Sara nodded, still in awe of the woman before her. Ava hopped out of the car, rushing around to open Sara’s door, and offered her a hand. Sara genuinely laughed at her girlfriend’s chivalrous antics but placed her calloused hand in the slender one outstretched before her all the same. They never let go the entire way back to Ava’s apartment, making it more difficult to unlock the door, but neither woman minded. Sara stopped Ava halfway though the kitchen, tugging slightly on her hand to turn the taller woman back towards her.

“Wha—“ Ava was cut off by the intense gaze Sara fixed on her as her hands came up to cup Ava’s face.

_That I’m yours_

Sara spoke her next words with an indelible fierceness, never taking her eyes off Ava’s. “I am yours, forever, Ava Sharpe.”

**Author's Note:**

> I realized after I wrote this that they don't kiss at all, and I think it's really interesting to explore all the ways to show love without physical intimacy like that. Let me know what you think!
> 
> Find me on tumblr @captain-sapph-fic


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